King Charles’ tour of Australia has been hailed a surprising success, as a new poll shows support for the monarchy is rising.
The King’s personal popularity in Australia has risen sharply, with his approval rating rising from 50 per cent last year to 58 per cent today.
That makes Carlos significantly more popular than Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who got 43 percent.
And exclusive polling for The Mail on Sunday shows support for abandoning the monarchy in Australia in favor of a republic has fallen to just 41 per cent.
That figure was 45 per cent when Australians voted in a national referendum 25 years ago. Paul Smith, director of public data at YouGov, said: “Our polling shows that if the Republican referendum were held today, they would be defeated by a larger margin than in 1999.”
King Charles, accompanied by Queen Camilla, racked up up to ten engagements a day on his long-term tour.
He was greeted by tens of thousands of well-wishers waiting in the scorching heat to see the monarch, with many saying they were deeply moved by his decision to travel so far despite his cancer treatment.
The poll, carried out last week by YouGov, indicates that the tour has also increased support for the Royal Family and King Charles.
King Charles’ tour of Australia has been hailed as a surprising success, as new poll shows support for the monarchy is rising
Nearly 45 percent of 1,500 Australians surveyed said the country should maintain the monarchy after the king’s death, up from 35 percent in 2023.
Nearly 45 percent of 1,500 Australians surveyed said the country should maintain the monarchy after the king’s death, up from 35 percent in 2023.
Queen Camilla’s favorability score also rose eight percentage points, to 44 percent.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, who visited Australia in 2014 with young Prince George, remain the most popular, at 74 and 73 per cent respectively.
And Meghan Markle and Prince Andrew were the least popular royals, with scores of 30 percent and 19 percent. Lidia Thorpe, the senator who verbally attacked the king in parliament in Canberra, scored just 13 per cent.
Royal biographer Hugo Vickers said: “This is certainly good news for the palace. There is enormous respect for the fact that the King made the long journey to Australia when he was unwell.
“In fact, Australian Senator Lidia Thorpe shot herself in the foot with her protest because it inspired many people to get upset about it and speak out in favor of the King.”
Philip Murphy, director of history and politics at the Institute of Historical Research, said: “Many people worried about what the Queen’s death would mean for the Commonwealth realms.
“But King Charles’ low-key approach to royal visits, emphasizing warmth and humor rather than ‘glamour’, has proven extremely suitable for the current climate.”